Hot-air furnace for domestic heating purposes



No. 625,250. Patented May I6, I899.

c. E. DURYEA. 'I'IDT AIR FURNACE FOR DOMESTIC HEATING PURPOSES.

(Application filed. Dec. 1'7, 1894.) I (No Model.) 2 Shuts-Sheet l.

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Np. 625,250. Patented May l6, I899.

C. E. DURYEA. HGT AIR FURNACE FOR DOMESTIC HEATING PURPOSES.

(Application filed Dec. 17, 1894.) (No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

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W/T/VE55E5 //v VEN TUR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. DURYEA, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

HOT-AIR FURNACE FOR DOMESTICHEATING PURPOSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,250, dated May 16, 1899.

Application filed December 17, 1894. Serial No. 532,040. (No model.)

To all whom it 77l/U/ 7/007L067IL. I

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. DURYEA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvemen ts in Hot-Air Furnaces for Domestic Heating Purposes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class of heating devices knownas hot-airfurnaces, used for the purpose of warming buildings, more especially domestic buildings, such as private residences.

The objects of my invention are to provide a heating device of small first cost, of such design as to be economical in operation, of such simplicity as to be easily operated, and, further, a device that, While requiring less care and attention than similardevices heretofore used, shall be free from dirt, ashes, and like inconveniences attending the usual furnace. I accomplish these results by the use of aliquid orgaseousfuelburned with a forced draft and in a furnace so constructed that practically all of the heat energy of the fuel is utilized, so that I secure from the more costly fuel an economy equal to or greater than is secured from less costly fuel as customarily used.

The accompanying drawings represent two sections and an elevation of my preferred form of furnace, and, with the description following, will suflice to enable any one skilled in this work to properly construct the same.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete furnace with one side of the box removed and portions of the flues broken away for clearness. Fig. 2 is a similar view with front tier of flues removed. Fig. 3 is a view of the fines from the burner end of the furnace, and Fig. I is a similar view in the reverse direction.

The furnace consists of a box, preferably of rectangular shape, constructed of brick or sheet metal, as preferred. This box a has partitions b b filling its Width and extending from its ends in opposite directions, so as to form a more or less tortuous passage for the air, which is admitted to the bottom of the box through an opening for that purpose, such as 'so needa conduit of decreasing diameter.

is shown at c. From the top of the box airpassages lead to the several rooms to be heated. cl cl indicate openings from which such passages lead. While this box may be of any preferred size or proportion, I have shown here a height sufficient to accommodate four tiers of pipe and a width of two tiers. These pipes e to e are for conveying the hot gases arising from the combustion of the fuel back and forth through the box till the greater portion of the heat is transmitted to the air in the box, but outside of and surrounding said pipes. These pipes are of such size and of such shape and so placed as to secure the best action of the gases in their passage through the said pipes, and herein much of the value of this invention lies. iVhile these pipes may be made larger or smaller, within certain limits, at any point without departing from the spirit of the invention, I prefer to make them of the same size throughout and so secure a more economical construction both in cost and arrangement of the parts.

It is well known that gases tend in response to natural. draft to increase their speed arIid n accordance with this it is usually the practice of furnace-builders to provide chambers of larger size for the hot gases to be held in until they have parted with a portion of their heat, after which they are allowed to pass through smaller pipes to the chimney. These chambers or fire-boxes are generally of necessity constructed of cast-iron or similar material and so liable to variations in size according to where hottest. Such variations open the joints and permit the escape of the gases together with such ashes, soot, or dirt as may be lodged therein. Not only is this objectionable, but where a fuel having a pen etrating odor is used it may be prohibitive. This is especially true of some varieties of crude petroleum, which although both cheap and valuable as a source of heat has been regarded as not suited for domestic heating be cause of the supposed impossibility of preventing the repugnant odor from becoming manifest in the house.

I use pipes of preferably the same size and material, driven or similarly tightly fitted together so as to avoid as far as possible by me chanical construction the liability to leakage.

From the time the gases enter the pipes until they pass to the chimney they have a forward movement, and so no one section can be much hotter than the sectionimm ediately following. I further place the pipes so that the latter tiers or series lie below the former tiers and so by leading the gases downward I largely check the tendency to move at an increased speed. I further give the gases a more nearly constant speed by starting under the influence of a forced-draft burner placed at or near the entrance to the said pipes. A further advantageous action is produced by exposing the pipes to the air around them in such a manner that the shrinkage in volume of the gases due to loss of heat is brought about at those points where leakage seems most liable to occur. How this is accomplished may best be understood by reference to the drawings, where f is the entrance to the pipe 6, the burner I) being placed just inside the end thereof. The burning gases issue from the burner at a rapid speed and the furnace, from which the pipes lead out, so that if the demand is greater at one point pass along the pipe, still burning and increasing their volume. This pipe lies between the two partitions and so is exposed to the air, fully and rapidly losing its heat. At 6 it rises and passes toward the front of the furnace.

At e it crosses tothe other vertical tier of pipes and passes to the rear. By this time it has lost in volume sufficiently to permit a check in its motion, and so it is directed downward and then forward, passing between the partitions in a reverse direction, but parting with much of its heat, as before. When it nears the forward end, it is barred further progress by. the damper f and turned down c. From thence it passes to the rear, then crosses to the first vertical tier at e thence forward and downward through 6 thence backward and across to the second vertical tier through e thence forward and to the chimney.

. While it does not matter how the chimney is reached after the gases have thoroughly parted with their heat, I prefer to carry them upward through c to that part of the pipe in which the damper f is placed and admit them thereto on the other side of the damper from the pipe e through which they passed in a downwarddirection. Besidesbeingneat-looking and compact this arrangement permits the gases being admitted to e", and thence to the chimney,when theyhave traveled but onehalf of the total length of the pipes. This arrangement is especially valuable in starting a fire, for it insures a better natural draft until the chimney gets warm, when the damper f may be closed and the gases driven through all of the pipe length. This is equally true in weather when the outside temperature is about the same as the inside temperature of the rooms being heated. In such a case so little heat is needed that there is but little draft, either forced or natural, and therefore but a small length of pipe need be used. The

. move in response.

tive or apparent heating effect. further moistening, a tank 25 is placed in the gases flow lazily along this and part with all their heatand so do not need to be passed through the lower portion of the pipes. This ability to vary the amount of pipe length, in

and consequently more forced draft, passes through the burner, and more and colder air enters the furnace and carries oi the increased amount of heat due to the increased amount of fuel. It will be evident that more dampers could be introduced and more variations secured; but this is not necessary nor advisable, since it has been proven by use that 1 the variations of the speed of the gases through the pipes due to the variations of the drafts, as before stated, is generally sufficient to permit the regulation of the heat to a nicetiy.

I provide a hot-air chamber at the top of than at another the hot air will be free to a water-receptacle, which not only-serves to is free to take up and so increase the sensi- To effect a space between the pipe a and the end of the furnace, so as to be near to heated pipes, and water is kept therein.

The pipe 6 may be lined with asbestos near the burner to prevent overheating.

I claim- A furnace-box for domestic heating sub stantially rectangular in shape having horizontal partitions projecting alternately from opposite ends which form the said box into an extended zigzag passage connecting a cold air inlet and chamber at the bottom with a hot-air chamber and outlets atthetop; in combination with a hot-gas conduit of approximately constant size throughout leading from near the top, backward, forward and crosswise a multiplicity of times in a general downward direction till near the bottom of the said box and thence to the chimney; said conduit being provided about midway of its length with a damper fas and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- CHARLES E. DURYEA.

Witnesses:

GRACE SHURTLEFF, LEE S. WILSON.

At the bottom I provide a cold chamber in which the cold air may ;spread out and get quiet enough to deposit any larger dust particles it may contain. :The bottom of this cold chamber, which is j also the bottom of the furnace, I provide with 

